Post by ferryfast admin on Sept 22, 2007 14:18:21 GMT -5
Flensburg Photo ~ BC Ferries' Coastal Renaissance
March 2007 ~ Flensburg ~ BC Ferries' Superferry
Thousands celebrate near-completion of massive B.C. ferry
Dave Obee
CanWest News Service; Victoria Times Colonist
www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=c9a6d0d0-1b56-4ed9-9ea1-1552afd5cc70&k=19244
Saturday, September 22, 2007
FLENSBURG, Germany - About 740 employees of Flensburger Schiffbau-Gesellschaft gathered here Friday - along with a couple thousand of their closest friends and a few dignitaries - to bid goodbye to the first vessel they built for BC Ferries.
Federal International Trade Minister David Emerson, B.C. Transportation Minister Kevin Falcon, as well as the prime minister of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein, Peter Harry Carstensen, attended the launch party.
A black covering on the side of the Coastal Renaissance was pulled away to reveal a full-length mural that will help to promote and celebrate the 2010 Olympics.
It was a perfect send-off, with just one catch. When the farewell party was over, everyone left the shipyard, but the ferry itself stayed put. It's not due to leave here for another month.
Flensburger, which has a $334-million contract to build three Super-Coastal class ferries, is under budget and ahead of schedule on the project. When the date for the goodbye celebration was set, the plan called for the Coastal Renaissance to depart as soon as the last confetti settled on the dock.
But the schedule had to be changed when tests determined that the ferry's two propeller hubs have a slight defect. Since the ferry was ahead of schedule, Flensburger had the time to order new hubs and put the ferry into dry dock to make the switch.
David Hahn, the president and chief executive officer of B.C. Ferries, said Flensburger still plans to have the Coastal Renaissance ready to go by Oct. 26, the date specified in its contract.
The next two ferries, the Coastal Inspiration and the Coastal Celebration are due to leave on Jan. 18 and May 9, respectively.
Each of the major routes between Vancouver Island and the Lower Mainland will get one of the Coastals.
It will take about 45 days, depending on the weather, for each ferry to complete its delivery voyage. When they arrive, crews will need to be trained on them.
All three Coastals are expected to be in operation by the high-demand summer months in 2008.
The new ferries are the largest double-ended ferries in the world. They have a capacity of 1,650 passengers and 370 vehicles.
Victoria Times Colonist